Pre-Registration Trainee Pharmacy Technician

Primary Care North Cumbria; Carlisle; Hybrid; GBP 21,000 - 25,000; Full time

Job summary

Carlisle Healthcare is offering a full-time Pre-Registration Trainee Pharmacy Technician position within a supportive GP practice network in Cumbria. The two-year structured apprenticeship leads to Level 3 qualification and GPhC registration upon completion.

The post includes protected study time, supervised workplace learning, and community pharmacy placements to develop knowledge, skills and professional competence.

Qualifications

• Good GCSEs including English and Maths or equivalent.
• Demonstrable commitment to professional development.
• NVQ Level 3 or equivalent.

Responsibilities

• Complete Level 3 Pharmacy Technician training and progress portfolio.
• Process repeat prescriptions and related tasks under supervision.
• Maintain patient records with emphasis on medicines safety.
• Collaborate with pharmacists, technicians and practice staff.
• Engage in medicines optimisation and governance activities.
• Attend community pharmacy placements as required.

Skills

Strong communication & consultation

IT & data skills

Interpersonal & written communication

Organisational & time management

Attention to detail

Independent working

Clinical information interpretation

Workload prioritisation

Adaptability & initiative

Education

GCSE English & Maths

Commitment to professional development

NVQ Level 3 or equivalent

Tools

MS Office

Job description

Pre-Registration Trainee Pharmacy Technician

We are seeking a motivated, enthusiastic, and dedicatedPre-Registration Trainee Pharmacy Technician to join our pharmacy team on afull-time basis.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone who ispassionate about pharmacy and committed to delivering safe, high-qualitypatient care. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to developtheir knowledge, practical skills, and professional experience within asupportive and welcoming pharmacy environment.

Full training, guidance, and ongoing support will beprovided throughout the role, helping you to build your confidence and progresssuccessfully towards your pharmacy technician qualification.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will develop the knowledge, skills andcompetencies required to achieve a Level 3 Pharmacy Technician qualificationand, upon successful completion, register as a Pharmacy Technician with theGeneral Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).

The post holder will undertake a structured two-yeartraining programme hosted within the Practice. This will includeworkplace-based learning and competency development, alongside tutor-lededucation. The post holder will be allocated protected weekly study time andwill be expected to commit to the training programme to successfully completethe Level 3 qualification.

Throughout the training programme, the post holder willdemonstrate the knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviours required to meetthe GPhC Standards for Pharmacy Professionals. They will work under thesupervision and guidance of appropriately qualified pharmacists and pharmacytechnicians and will complete the required competencies and assessments toobtain declarations of competence.

The role is offered on a full-time basis to support thetraining, study and workplace learning requirements of the Trainee PharmacyTechnician programme, ensuring sufficient time is available to meet bothpractical and academic commitments.

About us

Carlisle Healthcare is a large and established GP practiceserving patients across Carlisle and the surrounding areas of Cumbria. Thepractice was formed in 2016 following the merger of three local GP practicesand currently operates across three sites: St Pauls, North Carlisle and SouthCarlisle.

The practice has a strong focus on delivering high-quality,patient-centred care. Carlisle Healthcare provides a wide range of primary careservices and works as part of the wider Carlisle and Rural Primary CareNetwork, supporting a population of over 70,000 across the network.

We are committed to developing our staff and supporting apositive learning environment, with a multidisciplinary team that includes GPs,nurses, pharmacists, healthcare assistants and other healthcare professionals.

Job responsibilities

Training Requirements

The postholder will undertake a 24-month Pharmacy Technicianapprenticeship and must be able to commit fully to the requirements of theapprenticeship, including protected study time, supervised workplace learningand allocated placement activity.

The training programme is designed to provide structuredexperience across different pharmacy settings, enabling the trainee to developthe knowledge, skills and professional competencies required of a PharmacyTechnician and to understand how pharmacy services operate across primary careand community pharmacy.

Protected Study and Off-the-Job Training

The trainee will undertake one full day per weekof protected study/off-the-job training, on site and during paid working hours.

This study time will be formally planned,protected and recorded throughout the apprenticeship in accordance with therequirements of the training programme.

The trainee will be expected to attend allrequired training, teaching, assessment and development activities associatedwith the apprenticeship.

The trainee will be responsible for engagingfully with the academic and workplace elements of the programme and completingrequired coursework, assessments and portfolio evidence within agreedtimescales.

Supervised Workplace Training

The trainee will undertake a minimum of 14 hoursper week of supervised workplace learning within the Primary Care Pharmacy Team(PST).

Supervised workplace learning will be supportedby a GPhC-registered pharmacist or pharmacy technician, in accordance with therequirements of the apprenticeship and agreed training plan.

The trainee will progressively develop theirknowledge, skills and competence through supervised practice and structuredworkplace learning.

The trainee will gain experience acrossprescribing, medicines optimisation and pharmacy-related processes within thePST.

The level of responsibility undertaken by thetrainee will increase progressively as competence is demonstrated and willremain appropriate to their stage of training and level of competence.

Multisector Pharmacy Experience

The trainee will undertake allocated placementtime within a community pharmacy, as required by the apprenticeship and agreedindividual training plan.

Community pharmacy placements will provideopportunities to develop the wider knowledge, skills and competencies requiredof a Pharmacy Technician.

The training model will provide experienceacross primary care and community pharmacy, enabling the trainee to understandhow pharmacy services operate within different settings and how these serviceswork together to support patients.

The timing and duration of community pharmacyplacements will be agreed as part of the individual's training plan and mayvary according to apprenticeship requirements and the arrangements agreed withthe placement provider.

Learning outcomes will be progressivelydeveloped across the different training settings, with responsibility forsupporting the trainee's learning shared between the participatingorganisations.

Structured Support and Development

A structured workplace training plan will be developed forthe trainee, identifying:

learning objectives and expected outcomes;

planned workplace activities and learningopportunities;

supervision and support arrangements;

opportunities for experience across differentpharmacy settings; and

arrangements for reviewing progress anddeveloping competence.

The postholder will receive structured support throughoutthe apprenticeship, including regular supervision, feedback and opportunitiesto review progress against the training plan.

The trainee will be expected to actively participate intheir own learning and development, maintain appropriate records and provideevidence of achievement against the requirements of the apprenticeship.

The trainee must work within their level of competence andfollow all relevant professional, organisational and patient-safetyrequirements throughout the programme.

Expected Training Commitment

Activity

Commitment

Protected study/off-the-job training

1 full dayper week, on site and during paid working hours

SupervisedPST workplace learning

Minimum 14hours per week

PST Working

Remainingcontracted hours, excluding protected study and allocated placement time

Communitypharmacy placement

Allocatedhours as required by the apprenticeship and individual training plan

This is a full-time position, and applicants must be able tocommit to the full requirements of the 24-month apprenticeship, includingattendance at protected study, supervised workplace learning, communitypharmacy placements and other training or assessment activities required as partof the programme.

Prescribing and Medicines Management

Support the safe, effective and appropriatedelivery of prescribing and medicines optimisation services within thePractice, working within own competence, established procedures, SOPs andagreed pathways.

Develop and apply knowledge of medicines,prescribing processes, medicines safety, medicines management and prescribinggovernance within primary care.

Process repeat prescriptions, medicationrequests and prescribing-related tasks, identifying and escalating requestsrequiring clinical review or falling outside agreed competence andresponsibilities.

Process medication-related information fromhospital correspondence, including admissions and discharges, and undertakemedicines reconciliation as knowledge and competence develop, ensuringdiscrepancies and potential risks are appropriately escalated.

Support established medicines monitoring, recalland follow-up processes, including coordinating blood tests and otherinvestigations where these form part of an agreed pathway.

Support pharmacist-led medication reviews,medicines optimisation, medication reduction and titration pathways, processingagreed medication changes following clinical review.

Support prescribing safety searches, audits,quality improvement initiatives, medicines optimisation projects and servicedevelopment activities.

Support shared care and specialist medicinesprocesses in accordance with Practice and local arrangements, maintainingrelevant documentation and identifying missing information, monitoring oragreements for escalation.

Liaise appropriately with patients, carers,community pharmacies, secondary care and other healthcare professionals toresolve routine prescribing and medicines-related queries.

Follow Practice processes for secondary careinterfaces and repatriation, including identifying requests that fall outsideagreed primary care responsibilities.

Maintain accurate, timely and confidentialpatient records in accordance with Practice procedures, information governancerequirements and relevant legislation.

Work collaboratively with pharmacists, pharmacytechnicians, GPs, clinicians, Practice staff and the wider multidisciplinaryteam.

Recognise and appropriately escalatemedicines-related concerns, patient safety issues, prescribing discrepanciesand queries that fall outside the post holders competence.

Work within the scope of the trainee role,seeking appropriate supervision, advice and support as required.

Training and Professional Development

Participate fully in the agreed Level 3 PharmacyTechnician training programme.

Complete workplace-based learning, competencyassessments and tutor-led learning as required.

Use protected study time effectively to meet therequirements of the qualification.

Maintain an appropriate portfolio of evidencedemonstrating progression and achievement of required competencies.

Attend training sessions, tutorials, reviews andassessments as required.

Actively seek feedback and use it to developknowledge, skills and professional practice.

Demonstrate the knowledge, attitudes andbehaviours expected of pharmacy professionals and work towards meeting the GPhCStandards for Pharmacy Professionals.

Take responsibility for identifying learningneeds and discussing progress with the designated supervisor and trainingprovider.

Work within the trainee's current level ofcompetence and seek appropriate supervision when required.

Undertake community pharmacy placement(s) asrequired by your training.

Clinical Governance

Respond to Medicines and Healthcare RegulatoryAgency (MHRA) alerts, set up searches to identify affected patients on thepractice clinical systems and action them according to practice protocol.

Under the guidance of a pharmacist, monitorpractice prescribing against the local formulary and report back results to theclinical pharmacist team and action as required.

Support in the reporting of medicines relatedincidents, and when required, contribute to investigations and root causeanalysis.

Person Specification

Skills

• Strong communication and consultation skills
• Well-developed word processing/data collection/IT skills
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills
• Effective organisational and time management skills
• Accuracy and attention to detail
• Ability to work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team
• Ability to interpret clinical information to support clinical decision making
• Ability to prioritise and manage own workload
• Flexible approach to work, adapting to changing priorities
• Ability to use own initiative

Qualifications

• Good standard of general education 5 GCSE including English and Maths or equivalent
• A demonstrable commitment to professional development
• NVQ Level 3 or equivalent

Knowledge

• An understanding of the role of a Pharmacy Technician and the contribution of pharmacy professionals to safe and effective patient care.
• Basic knowledge of medicines and their safe and appropriate use.
• Understanding of the importance of medicines safety, accuracy and confidentiality.
• Awareness of the principles of medicines management and medicines optimisation.
• Understanding of the importance of accurate record keeping and information governance.
• Awareness of the role of primary care and the wider multidisciplinary team in supporting patients with their medicines.
• Understanding of the importance of following standard operating procedures, policies and agreed processes.
• Awareness of professional boundaries and the importance of working within own level of competence.
• Understanding of when to seek advice and escalation concerns relating to medicines, prescribing or patient safety.
• Awareness of the importance of effective communication with patients, carers and healthcare professionals.
• Commitment to undertaking the knowledge, skills and competency development required to achieve the Level 3 Pharmacy Technician qualification and progress towards GPhC registration.

Experience

• Experience working in a primary care, pharmacy or healthcare setting
• Experience of providing a professional, patient or customer-focused service

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.